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A LETTER 

ADDRESSED TO 

MARTIN VAN BUREN, 

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 
IM ANSWER TO 

THE LATE ATTACK UPON THE NAVY, 
BY THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE GOVERNMENT. 



St-'C^r-'i-' 



/r-e/; 



Sir : I have read with astonishment and indignation the late 
libel and calumny of the Globe upon the character and standing 
of the navy, that noble arm of our national defence. My as- 
tonishment is not that the official organ of the Government 
should originate and circulate such a base tissue of falsehoods — 
for of its fitness for any low purpose, and its utter recklessness 
of principle, I have long been persuaded — but that the whole 
article should be so much at variance with all the messages of 
the late Executive, as well as the different communications from 
the late heads of the Navy Department upon the same subject. 
No act of inconsistency, however, of the present party now in 
power should excite my wonder or call forth an expression of 
surprise, as their whole course, since they, have had the man- 
agement of the affairs of state, has been entirely opposed to their 
precepts when candidates for public favor. But, sir, I am 
proud to perceive that this foul-mouthed* slander has found but 
little favor with the people and press generally. The odium 
and contempt which it has vainly endeavored to fix upon our 
gallant navy have but recoiled upon itself, and it is now writh- 
ing under their effects. It is not my purpose to attempt to re- 
pel any of the infamous and degrading charges which they have 
impudently and wantonly advanced. The character, the honor, 
the deeds of noble daring, of this high-minded and chivalric 
body, are too well known and highly appreciated by the Ameri- 



can people to be tarnished by the filthy outpourings of this 
foul vehicle of slander. I shall merely notice some of its more 
opprobrious epithets and comparisons, and may, perhaps, allude 
to and rebut one or two of the graver assertions ; before doing 
which, however, I will briefly give my reason for addressing 
this letter to yourself. You have adopted " the maxims and 
principles" of your illustrious predecessor, pledged yourself to 
follow in his footsteps, and will consequently do as he did — take 
the responsibility of the acts and doings of the different Depart- 
ments, more especially Blair's, as this seems to receive more 
of the executive attention and supervision than any or all of the 
others ; nothing, at least, can appear in its venal and prostituted 
columns, without being, written, dictated, or sanctioned, by the 
Executive. The " whole" navy has been the object of this 
slander and abuse. Old and meritorious officers have been 
abused, insulted, and vilified, and the faults of the few have been 
made to attach to the many. It has been charged upon this 
gallant corps, " that there is a total w^ant of the esprit du corps, 
without which there is nothing high or ennobling in the profes- 
sion of arms." Grant this for the sake of argument, (which by 
no means do I,) to whom are blame and censure attributable? 
and who should receive condemnation at the hands of the pub- 
lic ? The officers of the navy, or those who have had the 
control and management of it ? Certainly the latter as in their 
hands has it fallen to its present ebb ; for its condition when the 
present party came into power was sound, efficient, and well 
organized — admitted to be so by the present dynasty, who were 
the celebrated reformers of that day. It was the pride, boast, 
and ornament of the country, and to be one of its members was 
considered a sufficient passport to the very best society of the 
day. In those tiays reputation and fame were gained by merit 
and service, not by cringing servility to the party in rule, for 
such was not then the order of the day. But how sadly has 
this once high-minded and honorable corps fallen since then ! 
It seems by your own showing that they have not been exempt 
from the corrupting influences of the infected atmosphere at 
Washington ; and, as there can be no effect without a cause, 
there must be a reason for it. Is it to the force of example in 
other Dejmrtments, or to a new one in their own ! If to either, 
the present administration is unquestionably the source of the 
evil. It is attributable to the weakness, inefficiency, and dis- 



grace, with which the Department lias been conducted. New 
rules and regulations have been introduced, and old, good, and 
well-tried ones dispensed with. But, in spite of all this, the 
navy has remained unshaken and true to herself; anJ it was 
for this very reason — because she would not bow the knee to 
Baal — that it has become the object of executive animadversion, 
and called forth the curses and execrations of that spotless or- 
gan, the Globe. Yes, sir, amidst the many temptations to which 
they have been exposed — the honors paid them at court, and 
favor shown them — there has been too much spirit and inde- 
pendence in the naval corps to be reduced from the high and 
enviable stand which they have always occupied, to the condi- 
tion of fawning sycophants and pliant tools. It was this firm 
and laudable resistance to encroachments upon their rights and 
long-established usages that invoked the executive displeasure, 
and the wrath of the vile and polluted Globe. It is true that 
some of the officers have strayed from the path of duty, honor, 
and fame, by the glitter of reward and promise of promotion; 
but I am pleased to say that these are few, and these few are 
those who were exculpated by the Globe in the charge it made 
upon the whole body. 

The next part of the libel which I shall notice is that charging 
the officers with a " disposition to skulk from duty," as " lazy 
louts," "hangers on," "IWashington campaigners," and "blood- 
suckers at the public Treasury." I will answer the charge by 
asking a question. If such be the case, why is it })ermitted ? 
What is the duty of the Secretary of the Navy ? To notice, and 
connive at, or correct abuses ? The fault, if there be any, is here, 
as in most other instances, connected with the Depm-tments, 
at the fountain head. The above comparisons and epithets 
are too low and degrading to be noticed in any other way than 
by giving them a place, in order to show the foulness and un- 
worthiness of the source from whence they emanated. But 
with regard to the charge : I deny it, except so far as relates 
to the exploring expedition. And here, instead of skulking 
from, they manfully and openly refused to do duty. And why 
did they refuse ? Because it was so miserably mismanaged ; 
because such new rules and regulations were introduced in 
selecting its officers as to render it justly obnoxious to all higii- 
minded and honorable men. When it was first set on foot, the 
hearts of the oldest and best of the service beat high in anxious 
expectancy of the appointment to its command ; and all were 



ready to volunteer, for it was then understood that none but 
volunteers would be appointed. But this arrangement was 
soon succeeded by another regulation, which soon brought the 
expedition into disrepute — that of a commander selecting his 
own officers. 80 that, instead of officers asking service from 
the Secretary of the Navy, they were soliciting it from a post 
captain ; and in consequence, in the language of an officer of 
the navy, " misrule, confusion, and mismanagement, stalked 
forth with giant strides. The once popular South Sea expedi- 
tion was now rendered odious to the officers. Through the 
mismanagement of the Navy Department, it had become a by- 
word and reproach upon the navy; and when the country, 
impatient of its protracted delays, was informed that the 
expedition was at length upon the eve of sailing, it was sud- 
denly left without a commander; and the Secretary, with one 
hundred captains and commanders subject to his orders, re- 
ported that he could not get one to go. At this time the control 
of the expedition was transferred to another, and the belief 
was indulged that he would restore it to its former favorable 
standing ; and niany officers, whose glorious deeds have won 
for them an imperishable name, and now occupy the brightest 
piiges in the annals of our country, were waiting, with a modest 
forbearance and decorum, (which those in power could not 
value or appreciate,) to be appointed to its command. But 
they had not kissed the foot, and hence were less fortunate than 
those who were less worthy. A junior lieutenant, who had no 
claim to the appointment but a base servility to the ruling 
clique, and what is so heartily execrated by the Globe, " a 
campaign at Washington" of six or seven long years, and who 
had scarcely seen twelve months' sea service in as many years, 
was, contrary to law and usage, lifted over the heads of labor- 
ious and deserving officers. It was doings of this kind, sir, 
which rendered the expedition so odious and unpopular with 
the navy. And how was tiie requisite number of officers ob- 
tained at last ? By assurances of promotion and increase of 
salary. This was the recompense for their compromise of 
dignity ; and, m.orcover, tlsese very men were selected from 
among the "campaigners at Washington." This expedition, 
sir, was the cause, the prime cause, of the libel and attack 
upon the navy, w^hich was made for the purpose of relieving 
Messrs. Woodbury, Poinsett, and Dickerson, as much as pos- 



sible from the disgrace which their m'smanageinenl has brougfit 
upon them, and saddle it upon the oliicers of the navj% although 
the officers remonstrated warmly and severely against the 
course pursued, and foretold you of the consequences. Instead, 
sir, of a disposition to " skulk from duty," upon all occasions 
except the one just alluded to, they have always been very 
prompt, ready, and anxious to do duty ; and, instead of asking 
extra compensation for services not rendered, as has been 
alleged, they have protested against, and absolutely refused to 
be compensated for, extra service. An instance of the kind I 
will cite, as being fresh in the memory of all : Last spring it 
was reported that the Susquehanna, a packet ship from Phila- 
delphia was captured, just without the capes, by a piratical 
schooner ; and no sooner had the intelligence reached the cities, 
than officers of the different stations, with the greatest alacrity, 
repaired immediately to sea in search of the supposed pirate. 
Their conduct upon this occasion was honorably mentioned by 
the Secretary in his message, and extra compensation asked. 
Against this, however, the officers remonstrated, and said, if it 
was granted, they would not receive it. 

I shall now pass to the most exceptionable part of the libel, 
and upon it make a few remarks, which will conclude what I 
have to say upon the subject. The charge that the officers 
" had adopted the maxims and principles of tinkers and cob- 
blers." Can it be possible, sir, that, with all your intrigue and 
cunning, you could no longer disguise your true feelings and 
sentiments towards the mechanics and working people ? Has 
the great ball of revolution which w^as started last fall, and has 
worked reform from Maine to Louisiana, and which is still in 
motion, so startled and affected you, so thrown you off your 
balance, that, in a moment of frenzy, you should tear from 
yourself the hypocritical garb you have so long and success- 
fully worn, and show yourself to " the dear sweet fenple,^^ whom 
you have so gulled and duped, in all your blackness and de- 
pravity. The charge was certainly made without reflection or 
consideration ; and happily for the country it w^as so, for the 
mechanics are now aroused from the deep deception which 
has been practised upon them, and can perceive by what 
seeming pretences they have been deluded. It is said that "out 
of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh;" which is more 
especially the case when the expression can do the speaker no 



6 

good, and may do him great injury, as in the present instance. 
Yes, sir, even pohcy, for which you are so justly celebrated, 
could not prevent your giving utterance to the sentiments you 
have so lone: concealed and entertained towards this worthy 
class of the community. When you wished to cover with 
infamy and disgrace our gallant navy, you could conceive of 
no means more certain than the assertion that they had " adopt- 
ed the maxims and principles of tinkers and cobblers ;" the 
very men for whom you once made such protestations of love 
and affection; and for whose rights you were laboring so dili- 
gently and earnestly. Yes, sir, you labored hard and success- 
fully. They reposed confidence in your promises, and almost, 
with one accord, contributed to your elevation, thinkifig that 
their interests would be safe in your hands. And now, since 
your acts have been in direct contradiction to your precepts, 
and that they have been deceived in you, and can no longer be 
duped into a furtherance of your projects ; viper-like, you turn 
around and sting them to death — they who have warmed you 
into being, and nourished you. But, sir, the mechanical interest 
of the country can sustain no injury from your hands ; the spirit 
of free institutions still warms the hearts of the American peo- 
ple. They are not yet prepared to say amen to all executive 
edicts, and at the coming elections they will rid you of your 
usurped power; and in the fall of 1840 hurl you from the place 
you have gained by false pretences, and substitute one more 
worthy, and one whose time and talents have always been de- 
voted to his country, and whose sentiments are those of the 
bard, that 

"Honor and shame from no condition rise, 
Act well your part, there all the honor lies." 

One who would never select such an organ to speak his views 
as would consent to become the calumniator and traducer of 
cobblers, among whom was Roger Sherman — and tinkers, 
among whom was General Greene ; men who aided greatly in 
achieving the liberties of our country in those dark days " which 
tried men's souls ;" but, on the contrary, would look upon them 
as upon all others, as American citizens, and pay them the same 
respect and attention. It is one of the greatest blessings of our 
republican institutions that merit will have its reward ; and it is 
well for yourself that such is the case, or the son of an obscure 
tavern-keeper would now be in the neighborhood of Kinderhook, 



and not known out of the precincts of his own county. Such 
would also have been the case with respect to your opponents, 
save one ; and he, although of illustrious parentage, fought his 
own way up the ladder, and built up his own reputation. As 
has been very justly remarked by an eminent jurist, " In our 
country the highest man is not above the people — the humblest 
man is not below the people." If the rich may be said to have 
additional protection, they have not additional power. Nor 
does wealth here form a permanent distinction of families ; the 
richest man amongst us may be brought to the humblest level; 
and the child, with scarcely clothes to cover his nakedness, 
may rise to the highest office in our Government. And the 
poor man, while he rocks his infant on his knees, may justly 
indulge the consolation, that, if he possess talents and virtue^ 
there is no office beyond the reach of his honorable ambition. 
I am astonished, sir, that any one springing from the humble 
place in society that you did, and most of those around you, 
should speak so degradingly of tinkers and cobblers, honest and 
hard-v-/orking mechanics. You seem to have forgotten your 
origin, and think the public will do the same, by your attempt- 
ing to cover with infamy and disgrace all those who occupy the 
place in society which you once did. But it is well known in 
the South, that a negro, acting in the capacity of an overseer, 
always shows less mercy to his fellow-negroes than a white 
driver, and delights to inflict punishment upon them, in order to 
show his authority and consequence. Those conversant with 
history know that when a weak and wicked man is elevated to 
power, he will always abuse the trust reposed in him, and be- 
come a tyrant, if the people will permit it. Such poor misguid- 
ed wretches always become insufferably proud and overbearing. 
But, sir, the mechanics of this country can look down with 
scorn and indignation, in the pride of conscious honesty, on such 
spoil-pampered aristocrats, who have grown fat and insulting 
upon the offals of the public Treasury. They know you, sir, 
and have put a mark upon you ; and through the ballot-boxes, 
at the coming elections, will let you know that you are not to 
indulge in your invective at their expense. 

LUCY KENNEY. 
Washington, September 18, 1838. 



8 

The following letter, from a distinguished friend, is here ap- 
pended, as well for the edification of your excellency, as for the 
gratificationfof my whig friends throughout the country ; 

My Dear Madam: It affords me great pleasure to comply 
with your request tor me to give you my opinions concerning 
your "pamphlet;" for the gift of which you will please accept 
my warm thanks. To all that you have written, I say. Amen 
and Amen. 

Napoleon expelled Madame de Stael from his empire for her 
political sins ; but it will be impossible for Martin to banish you 
from his republic. 

Shun Van Buren as the dominant spirit of a political hell ; 
but court Clay, as the anxiously looked for restorer of a political 
heaven. 

Frown upon fanatic abolitionists as public demons. They do 
not know that slaves in the South are better clad and fed, more 
happy, and less burdened, than paupers in the North. 

Restore the United States Bank, as the best patron of the 
** American system" of industry. Jackson pulled her down ; 
not because she was unfaithful to her charter, but because she 
refused to be made the political machine of his party. 

In conclusion, it will be as easy for you to remove Van Buren 
from the presidential chair, as for you to place Clay in his 
stead ; and the whigs w'ill deify you. 

WM. DARLINGTON. 

Miss Lucy Kenney. 

Perhaps it may not be uninteresting to your excellency to be 
informed that, at the Mechanics' celebration in Philadelphia, 
(cobblers, tinkers, and all,) of the event of the resumption of 
specie payments, it was declared that the publications of Lucy 
Kenney had revolutionized the State of Pennsylvania, and 
would, in the end, make Clay the President of the United States. 

LUCY KENNEY. 



\. SAl IKE: 



BEir^G A IlEJOINDLH 



TO A REPLY BY MRS. E. RUNNELLS 



TO MY LKTTKR 



IN VINDICATION OF THE NAVY. 



1 have been induced, after nmcli |)ersuasion and hesitation, 
to make the following remarks, thereby violating a determina- 
tion long since made, and by which, 1 trust, I have always 
been governed, never to be drawn into a controversy with any 
one whose place and standing in society did not conmiand the 
notice and attention of the respectable and intelligent portion 
of the conniinnity. But', it liaving been intimated that my 
silence may be misconstrued, 1 have, upon reflection, thought 
it advisable to give publicity to the reasons why I have re- 
mained silent since the publication of an answer to my last 
letter, and why, in future, I shall preserve the same silence 
towards any production of this highly-gifted and talented au- 
thoress and biographer : the first and chief of which is, that 
I would compromise my own dignity as much by condescend- 
ing to notice this fair and notorious lady, as by refusing to no- 
tice him and those whose cause she espouses. As regards this 
particular publication, however great maybe my disposition to 
answer it, it is almost impossible to indulge it, for, with the 
perusal of such a tissue of nonsense, I never but once before 
had my patience so tasked, and that was in reading the Life of 
this very distinguished character; however, as I have been re- 
luctantly compelled to say so much, I will say a few words 
upon tliis reply to my letter to Mr. Van Buren. The whole 
force of her remarks (if, in the fertile imagination of any, they 
can be supposed to contain force) is directed against the United 
States Bank, an institution respecting which, in my letter (to 
which hers is intended as an answer) I said not a word. 
This digression, however, is excusable, it happening in one o 



the sex whose exclusive attention it is almost impossible to 
give to any subject save one, and that presenting itself at a 
time of life long since passed by my honorable disputant. 
However, as I am always disposed to do justice to merit, even 
though it should be in an adversary, I am constrained to ac- 
knowledge, notwitstanding what I have just said, that her re- 
marks have not been without effect. The bank has felt the 
blow, and could scarcely withstand its force ; it is now totter- 
ing under it, and only remains to receive another from the 
same source in order to be completely prostrated and over- 
thrown. Upon the arrival of this production in Philadelphia^ 
which was sent to the monster, Nicholas, post-haste, by some 
of his friends in Washington, who felt great "apprehension con- 
cerning the well-being of the bank after reading it, a messenger 
was immediately despatched to the several directors, requesting 
them to meet in their banking-room instanter,to take into con- 
sideration some mode in which to meet this able and argu- 
mentative document, which so much threatened to annihilate 
the existence of the bank. Several plans were proposed and 
discussed; but the only one engaging much attention was the 
practibility of enlisting the services of this very lady to prop up 
Jheir falling fortunes, which she had just been engaged in bat- 
tering down, each one present feeling himself incompetent to 
the task; and it was unanimously conceded that this would be 
the most effectual mode of preventing the downfall of the bank, 
if they could but succeed in employing her aid; but many 
doubted its feasibility — some upon the ground of her purity of 
purpose and the impossibility of her being bought up, and 
others the amount required to do so, as no doubt her pen had 
been well gilded in a golden stream that flows so profusely from 
a certain Department. These objections were well weighed and 
considered; when it was determined, by the meager majority 
of one vote, to abandon the idea; the others believing it would 
be better to risk a refusal and consequent exposure than tc 
abandon themselves to the mercy of the public without this 
strong arm of reason to shield and protect them, their motto 
being "No venture, no have.'' And, I am persuaded, if the 
majority liad been gifted with the faculty of prescience, and 
could have foreseen the consequences of this letter, (to them 
so much dreaded,) they would have united to a man, and 
proffered the whole surplus of the bank to obtain her valuable 



■services, even though there was held out but the fahitest pros- 
pect of success. It is said that ''honesty is the best policy," 
and I must confess that, after reading her reply to my letter, 
although the renrarks of a personal nature applied to myself 
were not characteristic of the chaste and immaculate person 
from whom they came, I was almost compelled to forget my 
own wrongs and the severe castigation she gave me, and, from 
the fulness of my heart, cry out, Amen, amen ! My natural 
generosity of soul prompted me to it, and I s'lould doubtless 
have given utterance to my feelings, but for that innate 
craving and selfish passion which seems incorporated with my 
very existence, and to which every otlier feeling and passion 
is subject — that passion which is fed by the dazzle and glitter 
of filthy lucre, the profligate source of vice and corruption. 
Ah! money, money, how many sins you will have to answer 
for! At your shrine, how many distinguished and favored 
friends of the present administration, with whose success the 
author has identified herself, have fallen martyrs, and the fair 
places their names once occupied upon the standard of honor 
and distinction, now so many black spots held out as beacons 
to deter others, who may be so unfortunate as to possess the 
same propensity, from like transgression. But, at the same 
time, as every evil has its good, I must not forget this old 
friend in whose acquaintance I so much delight, although at 
times he has been quite refractory and turned his back upon 
me, for he has some very commendable and good traits of 
character, the most prominent of which are sincerity and firm- 
ness of attachment. When all others have deserted you, he 
remains firm and unwavering; and, at such times, if you have 
or can get his acquaintance, he exerts a powerful and peculiar 
influence in regaining the smiles and favors of lost friends, or 
acquiring new ones; and, for this very quality, though it be 
unsupported by others, I am determined never uncerimoni- 
ously to cut his acquaintance, but clinch his hand so long as 
he extends it. Nevertheless, if any thing could have induced 
me to disregard his favors, it would have been this very an- 
swer to that letter, which contributed so much towards our in- 
timacy of acquaintance. 

But, aside from the bank, the writer attempts to answer one 
of my charges — that of gross mismanagement in fitting out the 
exploring expedition; and, after charging me with ignorance 



upon the subject, very candidly acknowledges herself so, and 
wisely leaves it to others more able than herself to rebut. 
Before doing so, she remarks, "No doubt every measure was 
adopted to carry it through with wisdom, honor, and safety, 
[would that they could adopt some measures to become more 
wise — then most probably some of the subjects which the lady 
suggests as being more suitable to my sex would engross 
much of that time which I conceive it is now my duty to give 
to these stumblers and experimenters,] as it was their interest 
to do so." Yes, it would be to their interest to adopt meas- 
ures to carry out their measures with wisdom ; but this is the 
very something which it is necessary to have in order to adopt 
proper measures. It is wisdom which dictates proper meas- 
ures; but measures born and nurtured in the very lap of igno- 
rance and impudence cannot be piioductive of much good or 
conducted with wisdom, so long as they are intrusted to the 
care ot those with whom they originated^ and should any good 
result from them, it would be by accident, and not the conse- 
quence of well-matured plans and design. As another induce- 
ment that these measures should be well matured and properly 
considered before their adoption, she says, with them rested 
the responsibility. I ask, what responsibility? The responsi- 
bility of this act and measure ; and it was for this very respon- 
sibility that I thought proper to hold them up, in all their 
blackness and depravity, to the scorn and contempt of the pub- 
lic. In this very same sentence she says, "to err is human, to 
forgive divine;" the first half of which remark is fully exem- 
plified in the case of the individuals whom she has undertaken 
to defend; but the latter part, although one of the noblest at- 
tributes, does not belong to the American people when they 
find their servants guilty of gross and culpable neglect and 
mismanagement. And, as the honorable lady's bosom seems 
to be the seat of such patriotism, I am astonished to find her 
possessed of so much mercy and charity when the dearest in- 
stitutions of her country, for which she professes so much re- 
gard, are assailed, and that too by those to whose guidance 
they had been intrusted. I will here state, for her information 
and that of others, that I shall in future expose abuse and cor- 
ruption wherever I may find it in any of the Departments or 
in any public servant, but only in these, which I consider to be 
the property of the public and responsible to the public. 



In another part of her letter, she alleges that I reflected upon 
the humble origin of Mr. Van Buren. A greater falsehood could 
not have been uttered; m proof of whicli, I refer the reader to 
my letter in which the charge is said to be contained. It will 
there be found that, instead of saying aught against that con- 
dition in life from which Mr. Van Biu'en sprung, I upbraided 
him for attempting to cast reproach upon that very condition ; 
remarking that he should not forget from it he himself arose. 
It was introduced in speaking of the blessings of the institu- 
tions of our country, which gave to none office or distinction 
on account of wealth or name, but opened alike the road of 
preferment to the poor and the rich, to the humble in birth, 
and the high ; that they recognised no distinction, or else the 
present incumbent of the executive chair would be elsewhere 
than where he now is; and that I thought it ill became him to 
turn around and attempt to brand with infamy those who oc- 
cupied the same place in society that he once did, and for no 
other reason than of that occupancy. 

In another part of her reply, she charges me with contra- 
dicting in one part of my letter that which I said in another, 
in attributing in one' place the attack upon the navy to the 
President, and in another to the Globe. When speaking ot 
the Globe, my readers, at least all but those of the most limited 
comprehension, understood me as meaning the whole clique 
of those who conduct it, /. e. editorially, and him whose 
views in particular it spoke. Indeed, I distinctly stated that, 
although he might not have written it, it received his sanction ; 
and, according to the pledge given to follow in the footsteps of 
his predecessor, took the responsibihty. It was upon this 
ground that I addressed the letter to him, and, in it, held him 
accountable for the evil doings of his underlings, if, indeed, it 
was not his own act. 

Speaking of this pledge reminds me of another portion of the 
lady's letter, that charging me with inconsistency in support- 
ing General Jackson and opposing the newly-made hero, Mr. 
Van Bureii, as the latter pledged himself to carry out the 
measures of the former. In my letter I said not a word about 
any of the measures of Mr. Van Buren, save the one which 
called forth the remarks; and 1 now ask this lady, or others 
more informed, to point out in any communication of Presi- 
dent Jackson, or in any column of the Globe during his ad- 



ministration, one word of reproach upon the character of our 
navy. If she can succeed in this, I will then confess myself 
convicted of inconsistency, for the sake of an inducement to 
make the investigation; for 1 know well, notwithstanding the 
lady has heen an attentive reader of the Globe, she is as igno- 
rant of what General Jackson said or did, and what hns from 
time to time appeared in the Globe, as she is of the subject of 
which I treated, and to which she has attempted a reply. 
However, because I was an admirer of General Jackson is no 
reason that I should be one of Mr. Van Buren; as the two 
characters are entirely distinct, the one being honorable and 
high-minded, the other, low, groveling, and intriguing; and, 
the mere fact of his pledging himself to follow in the footsteps 
of his predecessor, instead of recommending him to my favor, 
would of itself be sufficient to destroy any favorable opin- 
ion I might previously have entertained of him, the sentiment 
being entirely too cringing and subservient to be entertained, 
mucii less proclaimed, by an aspirant to the chief magistracy 
of this Union. Apart from this, there were many of General 
Jackson's measures which never received any favor at my 
hands; audit is those measures, in addition to others which 
liave been recommended and introduced since his retirement, 
that have been most pertinaciously advanced and insisted upon 
by the present incumbent. Even though I approved of all the 
late President did or recommended, I should be very loath in- 
deed to rely on a pledge of Mr. Van Buren to move in his 
footsteps; knowing as well as I do how little dependance is to 
be placed upon his words and promises, as his whole life, since 
he entered upon the field of politics, has been made up of in- 
consistencies. He has availed himself of every political hob- 
by upon which there was a prospect of riding into power, 
looking only to the end, and not regarding the means by which 
he attained it; but, as his character in this respect is so well 
known and understood, I think I would be tasking the patience 
of my readers too much to say anything more upon this head. 
The remarks of the lady in speaking of me personally are 
too higlily imbued with the spirit of her character — black- 
guardism — to receive a comment, and go farther than aught I 
could say to acquaint her readers with the character of the 
source from whence they came. 

Before concluding this letter, which already covers more 



space thai] 1 intended it should, I will say a few words upon 
the subject of democracy, about wliich the lady, as well as 
her party, have so much prattle and clatter. There is not a 
greater piece of humbuggery now extant than this very same 
democracy. It means any thing and every thing. Tlie most 
opposite and apparently irreconcilable extremes are brought 
together and made to unite in harmony under iis great latitude 
of interpretation and construction. It is one of the most chari- 
table and accommodating words in our vocabulary, having a 
definition keeping pace with the changes and evolutions of a 
certain class of men who have thought proper to avail them- 
selves of its charm and enchantment of name, and its f^icility 
of transmutation, to carry out their purposes. To-day it means 
leaving all power in the hands of the people, from whence it 
came; to-morrow, concentrating it in the hands of the Execu- 
tive. One day condemning the interference of officers of the 
Governmeirl with the freedom of elections; the next day, rec- 
ommending such interference as being the only passport to fa- 
vor and ofiice, and as the only proper means of demonstrating 
their loyalty and fealty. To-day it means the most implicit 
obedience in office-holders to the will of their constituents; to- 
morrow, any low intrigue and chicanery, or even violation of 
oath, to defeat that will. In fine, as I say above, it means any 
and every thing which will advance or subserve the interest of 
a particular party, and directly the opposite of what it meant 
with those with whom it originated. I have now done. 

Respectfully, 

LUCY KENNEY, 



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